Club 29 Down: Back
by Cathy Santiel
Summary: Alternate ending for the show; first in the trilogy. There are no ships on the horizon, no help and no rescue. There are problems with relationships, diseases, storms, a crazy pilot and a big mystery. How to deal with that? JM, ND, ET, IA
1. Chapter 1: Feelings

**A****uthor's note: **this fic came to me after seeing _The Hotel Tango_. I was so unsatisfied with the ending and the lack of romantic scenes that I decided to write an alternate continuation. I'm planning to make it a trilogy. The facts from series and the movies are not changed, except that Daley and Lex didn't come up with the whole 'light' idea, so the rescue didn't come; also Ian hadn't been injured. Captain Russell ran off after Jackson and Eric stopped him from burning the camp. The whole group, along with Abby, Ian and Jory are now in there.

**Length:** 4,805 words.

**Warning: **I'm Polish. My English is not so good, so don't be surprised if the story has a lot of mistakes. Sorry.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the show or the characters. If I did, there would be a lot more romance in the series!

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**CLUB 29 DWN: Back**

Chapter 1: _Feelings_

(day 131 morning - evening)

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More than four months had passed since the plane had crashed. The whole group was reunited once again, except for Captain Russell, who had ran off into the jungle shortly after his poor attempt to burn the teens' camp. He hasn't been spotted since then, so the survivors had quickly forgotten about the whole occurrence, assuming the man was just too scared to come back and attack again.

As the days, weeks and moths passed, the kids have begun to lose hope; the had already accepted the fact that the island was truly deserted - they were there alone. It was useless to search for help; they could only wait and pray for someone to find them. Most of them just spent the spare time sitting on the beach and gazing at the ocean, hoping to spot the ship on the horizon. Everyone lost their will to keep on fighting; even Abby, who had slowly gone back to her original, sweet self; Eric, who had finally started being helpful and reliable; and Jackson, who had just realised that waiting was the only option left.

After they had decided to stay together, Lex suggested to vote for the leader again, since now they had three more people in the group. It ended with Jackson being in charge; no surprise here. The not-so-new leader insisted on keeping the democracy and for once everyone had agreed. The days slowly had become a routine; eating, gathering wood, carrying water, sleeping and so on. The teenagers had slowly accustomed to their new life, some of them even considered the island as a _home_. The others, despite their unwillingness to stay there forever, accepted the temporary place of residence and kept silent.

The friendship between the survivors had strengthened, even Nathan and Eric had started to get along. Ian and Jackson became good friends, too. The only pair that truly couldn't stand each other was Melissa and Taylor; the Asian girl hated the blond who was constantly flirting with 'the bad boy'. Jackson, unable to choose, was caught in between the two girls. Unfortunately, the worst has started when Eric got interested in Taylor, who was totally ignoring him. Eric, being the rat he is, started to cause trouble because of his jealousy. It seemed that the only happy couple was Nathan and Daley, who were now officially together. Their relationship, however, hadn't affected the rest of the group, since they weren't showing any affection in public.

The 131th day on the island started off in the usual, boring way. The sun was already up, making everyone hot and sweaty. Jackson covered his eyes with a hand and looked up at the cloudless sky. "It seems we won't be seeing rain for a while." he groaned, secretly wishing to feel the refreshing water on his skin. Positioning himself next to Taylor, he reached for the banana the blond girl was holding out to him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." chirped Taylor and winked at him.

Melissa, who was sitting by the fire, shifted uncomfortably as she saw the small exchange. "Aren't you supposed to be bringing water today?" she asked the blond angrily.

"Already taken care of that." she grinned, pointing at Eric, who emerged from the woods with the water, looking quite tired.

"You're just... unbelievable." groaned Mel, getting up and rushing in the direction of the beach.

Jackson sighed and shook his head. "Eric, stay by the fire." he addressed to the boy. "Taylor, _do your job_."

"But...!" she started in a whiny voice.

"No buts. Melissa is right, you know. You've become as lazy as you were in the beginning lately." said Jackson, getting ready to follow Melissa. "Get a grip and go bring the water. Whining's not going to help."

Taylor rolled her eyes, but dissapeared between the trees anyway. It seemed that Jackson was the only person who was actually able to make her do _anything_. He reminded himself constantly that he _did_ like Taylor (as a friend, at least), but she was really getting on his nerves for the past few days. She kept on whining, flirting, and followed him _everywhere_. Sometimes he wondered if she was the same Taylor he had started liking in the first month after the crash. Or if it was just an act to make him like her, because he was just _cute_. He knew that the blond wasn't even his type; he knew it was useless to keep on confusing both girls, when the answer was pretty simple - there was only one person that he really may have feelings for. Speaking of which, she was probably crying her heart out because of him.

Jackson snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Eric's laugh. "Taylor's really a pain in the ass, isn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess," he answered. "sometimes."

"But you like her, don't you?" Eric shifted, playing with the fire starter. "Or at least she likes you... Unfortunately." he added quietly, but Jackson managed to catch his words anyway.

"You know what?" he started. "I do like her, I really do. But she's no more of a friend for me than Daley is. I think it's pretty obvious who's the one I like the most." Eric opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted. "Doing Taylor's chores is not going to make her like you. It's just making her lazy as she was in the beginning. Try something else." Jackson finished, gathering courage for 'the talk' with Melissa.

Eric, still shocked after receiving an advice from no other than the chief itself, smirked. "And you should work on being more expressive to the ones you should be. I mean, everyone knows that you like Melissa, except for her alone. And Taylor, but she doesn't count, cause she lives in an illusion, thinking that you are head over heels for her." Eric stretched and grinned widely. "But... thanks, chief."

Jackson turned around and smiled; he knew that Eric, despite being a rat, was a nice guy at heart. Lately there have been some arguments between them, but he knew it was all Taylor's fault, since she was making the blond boy jealous. Otherwise, they haven't really got anything to argue over, since Eric really started to work and finally stopped plotting against the group. "No problem, man."

As Jackson made his way towards the beach, he observed the clear sky and the lack of clouds. The sun was shining really brightly that day, and the temperature was the highest he remembered. It looked like the weather wouldn't be changing for a while, but Cody Jackson knew better than to believe that. After all that had happened to them on this island, he knew that the weather could change rapidly. It could be sunny in the morning and an hour later they could encounter a deathly storm. It was common and they all got accustomed to this kind of climate; the teens knew that everything could change in any moment. What was bothering him, however, was a bad feeling he had had for three days. Something was telling him that there is an awful thing coming; he couldn't shake the feeling away no matter what. But what could be possibly worse than being stranded on the deserted island? A strong, destructive storm? Captain Russell coming back? More relationship problems or maybe... a sickness? He knew that catching some kind of tropical disease was probably the most frightening thought, but everyone were strong and healthy now. Since his and Eric's illness no one has caught anything yet, but they were strongly aware that it _will_ happen eventually. Jackson just hoped that the one who will catch the disease wouldn't be Melissa; she was always the one taking care of 'the patients' and giving them the right medicine.

Jackson passed Lex, who was scribbling something in his notebook, probably making plans for a new shelter or something. He was about to start searching for Melissa, when he heard Nathan's voice behind him. "Hey, man, could you possibly give us a hand here?"

Jackson turned around to see Nathan and Daley working on a new 'laundry building', as Lex had called it. It is supposed to be a place where they could do laundry and then hang the clothes to dry. Lex positioned it in the perfect place, which was all day in the sun. The new couple was currently having some troubles with the roof, as Nathan was laying under the ruined construction with Daley standing over him and trying not to laugh.

"Is it possible to be more clumsy than you are, Nathan?" she giggled, helping him to stand up. "You are just so funny."

"Yeah, yeah, right. Making fun of poor Nathan, who was trying to do some work for the 'Democratic Lady'," he grumbled, but his face was stretched in a wide grin. "we're being really grateful here, aren't we?"

"Aww, poor baby." laughed Daley and then turned to Jackson. "We have to finish this before midday. You know how the weather changes. If it starts to rain, then everything will be ruined."

"Yeah, I know. Let's get this over with." said the boy monotonously and prepared himself for the work.

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_**Melissa's VD: **Hey... um... diary. It is a 131th day on this cursed island, can you believe it? We're here almost four months! I already lost the track; I don't know what day is today, but I know what's coming. Chillowen. We agreed that it will be held every thirty days, so it's already 6 days left to it. But it doesn't change the fact that this island is cursed! Okay, maybe it's not so bad... I mean, I really like it there. It's like a tropical paradise! I came to like everyone! Lex is such a sweetie, I love spending time with him. Okay, I may not always understand what he means but... Nevermind. Ian and Jory are slowly fitting into the group; I mean we were separated for so long! They felt a little strange in the beginning but now they are ok. Abby is back to herself again and my thankful - she was really giving me the creeps. Nathan and Daley are always there for me when I need them and they are sooo cute as a couple! I saw them holding hands on the beach yesterday, I think they thought that they're alone. Strangely, I got to know Eric, and we talk about everything. He stopped spreading rumors, so I always tell him when I have a problem with Jackson and he tells me everything about his relationship with this blond, clueless... girl... cause he really likes her. She's just so blind! I mean, can't she see that Jackson likes me better? She should give up and focus on Eric instead! She's really the only one that I can't stand. And Jackson... well, Jackson is just Jackson. He still hasn't made up his mind yet._

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Melissa turned off the camera and took out the tape, placing it in her pocket securely. She knew she couldn't afford to lose her tape again; there were to many secrets that she would not like the group to see. She still remembered the way that Jackson got to know that she has a crush on him and wasn't exactly fond of that memory.

Making her way back to the camp, she passed by Nathan, Daley and Jackson, who were working on a new laundry shelter. She stopped and thought about making a conversation with her crush, but decided not to. After all, she was the one that always started their talks recently. It was useless to force him into anything, so she made a decision to give him some freedom and let him decide himself. She just hoped he wouldn't choose Taylor over her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt herself being roughly pushed into the ground with the awful shriek beside her and the sound of water spilling.

"God, no! I'm not going to carry this water again!" screamed Taylor pushing off the ground and kicking the now empty containers angrily.

Melissa groaned, looking at her bleeding knee and checking if the camera wasn't destroyed. She sighed with relief seeing it was still working. "You should watch where you're going, Taylor. You almost destroyed the camera. And look at my knee."

Taylor made a sound of disgust. "Awful. You should go and wash it." she said, lifting the water containers.

"Thanks for your pity." said Melissa sarcastically and stood up weakly, then limped in the direction of the camp.

The blond girl let the containers fall and approached Melissa, catching her arm to help her walk. "Here, let me give you an arm." Melissa snorted and shook her hand away, leaving Taylor dumbfounded.

"Hey! I was just trying to help." she whined. "It was my fault after all."

"You're really observant, Taylor." said Melissa. "But I don't need your help; all you do is destroy."

Melissa continued her slow walk, until she felt Taylor beside her, once again carrying the containers.

"Listen, I think we should talk. About... you know." the blond thought for a moment. "About our... love triangle."

"There's nothing to talk about. I told you once, you're a selfish and devious person, Taylor. I know you're not going to back off. I stopped trying to make you do it, cause I know it's impossible. Please, don't expect me to like you and trust you. After what you've done..." she trailed off, looking the other way. "I just decided let the things flow. If Jackson really likes you more, then it's his decision. You should just know, that you hurt more than one person here."

Taylor looked at her guiltly and sighed. "I'm sorry, Melissa. I really am." she ignored the shocked expression on Melissa's face and continued. "I know he likes you more. And I know I'm hurting you. I will... try to stop spending so much time with him. You are right. We are total opposites, you're selfless and I'm selfish. It's obvious that he will choose you over me."

Melissa didn't say anything, neither did Taylor. They got to the camp and Melissa sat down on the rock, watching her bleeding ankle.

"Whoa, what happened?" asked Eric, watching the scene before him.

Taylor reappeared with the first aid kit in her hand and sat down beside the Asian girl. "Eric, could you please go fill the water containers?" she asked, cleaning the wound with water. "I will clean Melissa's scratch, okay?"

As soon as she said that, Eric disappeared in the woods. Taylor looked up at Melissa with a small smile.

"Can we please be friends again? Okay, I'm asking for too much." she corrected quickly. "Can you please try to trust me again? Peace?"

Melissa smiled and helped to put the bandage on her knee. "Yes, peace." Taylor moved and the two girls were hugging in a second. The both were happy to finally be able to talk to each other. Although they were aware that it will take long to become friends again, it was a good start. Deep in their hearts they were sick of not talking to each other, the tension was killing them. Now finally everything was turning out as it should be. Their small moment was stopped when they heard a sigh behind them.

"Finally!" said Nathan, who, along with Daley and Jackson, finished the work and came back to have some lunch. "I thought that you're going to keep glaring at yourself like... forever."

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It was already past midday and everyone once again went to do their chores; Nathan and Eric went to search for the food, Taylor was carrying water, Daley doing laundry, Lex researching and Melissa watching the fire, since her knee has still been a pain. It left Jackson with absolutely nothing to do, so he decided the time to be perfect opportunity to do 'the talk'. When he arrived at the fire pit, however, he didn't see a sign of an Asian girl.

"Hey, Lex, have you seen Melissa?" he asked the boy who was passing by.

"No, but ask Daley, I saw her talking to Mel earlier."

"Thanks."

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"Hey, Daley, have you seen Melissa?"

"Oh yeah, she was gathering oysters with Nathan and Eric at the beach."

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"Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Melissa?"

"Eric! Look out... Oh my God you spilled them all over the beach... Idiot!"

"Nathan!"

"Oh yeah... She went gathering wood, I told her she should rest, with her knee hurt and all that stuff, but she wouldn't listen to me. I think she met Taylor on the way though."

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"Jackson, could you please..."

"Not now, Ian."

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"Taylor!" screamed Jackson to stop the blond girl who was currently walking with the empty containers. "Listen, have you seen Melissa?"

"Yeah, but then she went the opposite way." she answered. "Um, Jackson... Since you're already there, can we talk?"

Jackson sighed, but sat down next to the girl anyway. "I wanted to talk to Melissa, that's why I'm looking for her for over half an hour, but I guess... Yeah, we also should finally talk."

The boy was at loss of words. He really didn't know what to say. To tell the truth, he was afraid that Taylor might go hysterical after he tells her that he sees her only as a good friend. "Um, remember when you asked me to tell you when I figure out what is between me and you and me and Melissa?"

Taylor stared at him. "Yes, I remember... It was after Melissa confronted me and asked about you." she said. "I felt guilty... And I couldn't understand you."

Jackson sighed and placed his face in his hands. "Man, it's so complicated. I'm sorry, I should have just told you back then. I like you, Taylor, I really do, but-"

"-but you like Melissa more." finished the blonde. "I know. I knew it from the beginning. I was just stupid to think that there was something more between us. You have never really given me a reason to assume that I've got a chance with you."

Jackson turned to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, it's really difficult to me. I've never known how to deal with girls," he laughed. "but I'm sure that _you_, out of all people, will handle this. After all there is a bunch of guys here waiting for you."

"Yeah, especially on this island. There's a whole bunch of guys." Taylor imitated her whining voice, what made Jackson smile. "Nathan's taken, it's obvious. You've got a thing for Melissa, don't try to deny it!"

Jackson blushed, but admitted that he did like Melissa more than any other girl he had known before; she was his best friend for sure, but he realised that he will have to try to hook up with her to know if there's something more. She was cute and he _was_ attracted to her physically; to tell the truth he thought she was the prettiest girl from the survivors. He also liked her personality, because she was shy, sweet and caring. _And_ she always took care of him when he needed it.

"-oh! I'm sure you see that Ian has a crush on Abby, but I don't know if she likes him too yet. But I will find out!" continued Taylor. "And that's pretty much it. Not a one guy for me."

Jackson smirked. "Sneaky. You know everything about the people here, but it seems you have forgotten about somebody."

Taylor was thoughtful for a moment. "I did? Who?"

"Oh come on!" said the boy, nudging her playfully in the side. "Think harder."

"Okay so there's Nathan, who has Daley; you and Melissa; Ian and Abby; Lex? Oh come on, he's a kid." Jackson smirked at her childish behaviour, he knew that she was perfectly aware of the person she had avoided in her little speech. "Jory doesn't fit in my standards, cause I'm perfectly straight. This pilot guy is crazy, old and so disgusting! So it leaves... Oh. Eric."

Jackson smirked and stretched, getting ready to look for Melissa again. "Yeah, so now that your brain has finally registered the fact that Eric is interested in you, please excuse me, cause I'm looking for a Melissa for a while now."

"Yeah," muttered Taylor. "see ya later."

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_**Taylor's VD: **Am I going mad, or did Jackson just tell me that Eric likes me. Eric? Eric and me? Oh give me a break._

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**_Jackson's VD: _**_Okay, one problem solved. Now to find Melissa. Where the hell is that girl?_

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Melissa sat on the rock near the cliff she had once fell off; it was after Taylor had made Lex play her video diary and Jackson found out about her crush on him. After that incident she started to like this place and went there every time she wanted some time alone. Melissa rubbed her aching knee and groaned. She knew it was stupid to wander off this far alone in her condition, but she liked being here. And now she was stranded, because her leg hurt to much too stand. After a while she decided she would just wait for someone to find her.

The Asian girl watched the beautiful scenery and remembered the last time she had a talk with Jackson here; it was when Abby and Eric wanted to leave and the boy decided to join them. She ran off in this place shortly after the meeting to cry, cause she was devastated at the thought of Jackson being away from her.

_Melissa felt the heavy tears fall down her cheeks. The thought of saying 'goodbye' to Jackson tomorrow was making her heart break; she was afraid of him being hurt and... afraid of _living _without him. She was aware that someday they will have to separate, but never thought that it could happen so soon. The only hope keeping her alive __was that of Jackson coming back to her. Suddenly, she felt someone behind her and turned around to see no one else than Jackson, staring at her with his usual, unreadable expression._

_"Hey." she murmured, turning back to stare at the clouds and smiling gently. "Ready to go?"_

_"Yeah, you could say that." Melissa was mesmerized by his deep voice. "But I don't think that I can ever be truly ready to go."_

_"What do you mean?" she asked, when he kneeled next to her._

_"I don't think I'm ready to leave the camp yet." Jackson said slowly. "I don't know why, but I feel like there's something I need to do before. I just can't figure out what it is. Please don't cry Melissa-"_

_"-how am I supposed not to cry? You're leaving me all alone here!" wailed Melissa. "Please, don't go!"_

_"Melissa... You know I'm going mad here." he said gently while putting his arm around her. "Besides... There's Nathan, Daley, Lex... Even Taylor."_

_"Yeah, right," snorted the Asian girl. "that's just what I need - dealing with Taylor everyday."_

_"Then come with me." upon seeing Melissa's shocked expression, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean... Us. Eric, Abby, you and me."_

_"Are you serious?" Melissa asked, bewildered. "But... Nathan, Daley-"_

_"-can take care of themselves." Jackson finished with a smile. "But I'm not forcing you."_

_"I-" Melissa thought for a moment. His words were so sudden, shocking and... _right_. It finally clicked. She wanted to go with them. She wanted to go with _him_. "I have to go to pack."_

_Jackson grinned and helped her up. "I'll help you." he murmured quietly. "And then we'll be _both_ ready to leave."_

"Hey, Melissa."

The said girl let out a small shriek and fell down on her butt. "Ouch! Oh my God, can this day get any worse?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." said Jackson as he helped her up. "You just seemed so deep in thought that I couldn't make you notice me."

Melissa laughed nervously, slightly embarrassed. "Oh! I was just thinking about... Nevermind." she grinned. "So what you're doing here? Good thing you are here, though, cause my knee hurts and I can't walk."

Jackson touched her knee and gently examined it. "It looks bad. We should get back to the camp." He placed his hand on her back to pull her up. "I was worried. I couldn't find you, so I went to look for you. And... I wanted to talk to you about... stuff."

"Stuff?" Melissa groaned as her knee started to hurt really bad. "Ouch! It hurts so much."

"This is not going to work." with that words, Jackson lifted Melissa bridal-style and headed to the camp.

Melissa blushed, but managed to keep herself from stuttering. "So... What's the 'stuff' you wanted to talk about?"

"You know... About us." sighed Jackson. "Listen. I've been thinking about this whole situation and I want to tell you that there's completely _nothing_ going on between Taylor and me. I've finally talked to her today and we... you know. Sorted the things out."

Melissa couldn't help but smile widely at the thought of Jackson getting rid of Taylor. She placed her head on his shoulder slightly and relaxed; maybe he would finally tell her the truth adn everything would be as it should.

"Me and you... I... Don't know what to say. I really, really like you. You're my best friend." continued Jackson. "It was wrong to say that we should wait. Let's face it - we're going to be here for a long, long time. It's no use to wait, it's just making things more complicated. And... Nathan and Daley are together; the're just not showing it, you know. So maybe we could-"

"-do the same?" asked Melissa hopefully; her face now covered in a heavy blush.

"Yeah. Exactly." said Jackson with a smile. "So, um, will you go out with me?"

Melissa started laughing loudly. "You're so funny." then she added: "Yeah. I'd like that."

Jackson smiled widely. Just then, he saw the plane between the trees. They were finally back in the camp. It was already dark and it seemed that everyone else were already sleeping. He went inside the plane and placed Melissa in her sleeping bag.

"Night, Melissa." he murmured and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. The girl barely stopped herself from squeaking. When Jackson was out of the plane, she let out a dreamy sigh.

"About time it happened." whispered Daley, smirking at the blushing Melissa.

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**A/N:** I hope you liked it. I know it was a bit boring, but I just wanted to sort out everything between the characters. I have a lot of action in my mind for later chapters though. Oh and the flashback is the scene that I think that _should_ be included in the show. They never told us who covinced Melissa to leave the camp; I'm sure it was Jackson though.

Reviews make me write faster.


	2. Chapter 2: The calm before the storm

**Author's note: **wow, so many people like this. Thank you very much for your reviews. They encouraged me to write more. I take some time to update, but it's because I don't want to rush it. I'd rather spend some time improving the plot than write thoughtlessly just to finish it faster.

My idea for the plot has changed a bit during this week. I've changed the genre. You'll later find out why. There's going to be a lot of love triangles including Eric, Taylor, Abby, Ian and Jory in the later chapters.

Thanks to carterfinley for the useful note in her review. (:

**Length:** 4,561 words.

**Warning:** Same as before. Bad grammar.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show. I'd like to own JP though. ;D

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He wasn't stupid; he knew that there was someone standing behind the tree, but pretended to ignore this - he hoped that person would get bored and go away. But when he felt the eyes bore into his back, he snapped.

After all, he never really was a patient person.

He jumped and ran behind the tree. He saw the person duck behind the trunk and run; he followed, noticing the strong posture that certainly couldn't belong to any of his friends from the camp.

"Shit!" he swore, when his foot accidentally stepped on a slippery rock and he tripped; his body falling backwards onto the wet grass.

As he tried to lift himself up, he saw the glimpse of the colorful, hawaian shirt.

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**Club 29 DWN: Back**

Chapter 2: _The calm before the storm_

(day 132 morning - evening)

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Daley had not been surprised when her daily habit of waking early had awakened her once again. Being clean, refreshed and ready for another stressful day full of work at such an early hour was something she had learned while being in this deserted place. Back at home she wasn't really an early riser; in fact she considered herself a sleepyhead - always taking an opportunity to have a quick nap. Here on the island she had always been the first one up, preparing the breakfast for everyone, along with Abby who had always suffered from restless nights.

The redhead watched the sunrise, that started another day full of routine and work. She reached for the eggs that Lex had shown her earlier and decided to fry them; after all she was sick of eating fruit everyday morning. And she was sure that she wasn't the only one hating that, too. She sat by the fire and started her work silently, cracking eggs and frying them.

So much had changed since the crash; at first some of them just couldn't stand each other - now it seemed that they reached some kind of an agreement. The most shocking for Daley was the growing friendship between Melissa and Eric - she has never suspected these two to get along.

Daley heard a sound of footsteps behind her, already knowing who it was. Abby appeared next to her - dripping wet with a towel placed securely on her head. The Asian girl glanced briefly at the frying eggs.

"God, it smells delicious." she murmured. "You really made my day."

Daley smiled gently. "I think we're all sick of eating fruit everyday."

Abby snorted. "Yeah, we are." The girl started drying her hair with a towel. "I'll go wake the others."

Daley nodded, staring at the cracking fire. In the next five minutes the castaways awakened one by one; Jackson and Ian came out of the boys' shelter first, closely followed by Nathan, who were stretching and yawning loudly. Melissa poked her head out of the tent with a wide smile on her face at the same time, too. Jory went to take a shower, while Eric and Taylor still slept soundly.

Melissa took the seat next to Jackson and smiled at him shyly. The boy smirked coyly at her and murmured a quiet 'goodmorning'. Daley winked at the Asian girl and bent over her.

"Looks like someone is all _ga-ga_ over our little Melissa." she whispered in her ear. "Good for you."

The said girl blushed hotly and looked down, trying to cover her face with her long, dark hair. Daley laughed loudly and stood up to greet Nathan, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Morning." she purred. "Did you have a good sleep?"

Nathan grinned at her and winked. "Yeah. Guess who was the main star of my dream."

Daley shook her head and pushed him playfully. "Oh, go wake up those two."

After some kicking, shouting and cursing, the whole group finally gathered around the fire pit and started eating breakfast. The atmosphere was rather nice; everyone were chatting happily and joking around. Nathan and Daley sat next to each other, with Nathan's arm discreetly resting on her waist, while Melissa and Jackson simply stole secret glances at each other. Nobody had a clue about their yesterday encounter yet.

Finally, Jackson rose to his feet and coughed to get everyone's attention. "Okay, so firstly the schedule for today." he started. "Nathan and Ian will be gathering fruit and I will be fishing. Taylor - your job for today is laundry, Melissa - water boiling, Daley and Jory - cleaning the fish and preparing food. Abby will help Lex with his work today. Oh, and Eric, you'll be-"

"-lugging water. Yeah, I got it, Chief." groaned the boy, making the rest of the group laugh. "I saw this coming. I had this scary vision of myself standing over the spring with a water container yesterday."

"Oh, come on." Taylor nudged him playfully. "We all know you secretly love this job."

"Yeah, right." muttered Eric sarcastically. "I'd rather have a rash and wear a skirt for the whole day."

"Hey!" protested Nathan.

Jackson snapped his fingers. "Hey, hey! I haven't finished yet. There is one more thing I'd like to discuss today." the boy sighed. "On my way to the latrine today, I've noticed something strange. Someone was hiding behind the tree and watching me."

"Okay man, I don't think we want to hear about some pervert watching you, while you were taking care of your business." muttered Eric, while Taylor snickered. Melissa giggled, too, but stopped after seeing Jackson's murderous expression.

"Will you let me finish?" at the harsh and serious tone of his voice, everyone had instantly silenced and listened carefully. "So you see, I wanted to confront that person, but I wasn't fast enough - I had managed to catch only a glimpse before he disappeared. But I think I know who it was."

The rest of the castaways stared at their 'boss' expectantly.

"I think it was Captain Russell." finished Jackson.

There was a second of silence, before the hell began. It seemed everyone had something to say about the situation; the screams of anger, gasps of fear and sighs of resignation were heard.

Eric: "What the hell was that asshole doing here?"

Jory: "We should help him! He's sick!"

Melissa: "What if he's going to try to hurt us?"

Nathan: "What is that bastard trying again?"

Jackson sighed and coughed loudly, trying to get everyone's attention again. "If we're already past the 'shock' part, can we possibly talk about the thing that _is_ important - how to deal with this situation?"

"Kill the bastard!" cheered Eric, waving his hands enthusiastically.

Daley shook her head. "Eric, don't be immature. This is a serious matter."

Abby lifted her hand. "I think we should split, so a couple of us could go and track him down." she exclaimed. "He's a danger to us."

"No!" protested Lex. "It would make the situation even more dangerous. We're stronger in the group. I think we've already been through that."

Ian, who was sitting next to Abby in front of the tent, nodded. "I agree with Lex. But," he started. "I think he deserves our help. I mean, he's sick. It's not his fault he's acting that way."

"The crazy, sneaky old man who was trying to burn our camp down?" whined Taylor. "And a peeping Tom, too!"

The hot argument was broken, when Melissa stood up and waved her hands. "Hey! I think the wisest thing is just to wait and let the things develop on their own." she said gently. "Does everyone agree? Should we vote on it?"

The grunts of approval were heard throughout the camp; some of the people nodding, some still not being totally convinced.

"Let's vote." said Jackson. "Who wants to leave the matter and wait for the pilot to make the first move?"

Melissa, Jackson and Nathan lifted their hands first. Daley and Lex joined shortly after, closely followed by Abby and Taylor. Eric shook his head, but lifted his hand as the last one. Jory and Ian still sat unconvinced.

"I still think we should help him." said Jory firmly. "But I had agreed to democracy and voting before, so I guess it's alright."

Ian crossed his arms, but said nothing.

Jackson glanced at him briefly, making a mental note to talk to him later. "Okay, so the majority wants to wait. And we wait."

"So it means we should stay alert and watch out for any signs of the pilot." said Nathan.

"No," corrected Taylor. "it means I have to watch my back every time I want to pee."

-

-

-

Ian stared at the waves crashing into the rocks; his thoughts were a mess and he still couldn't believe how easily the survivors had decided on that important matter. He was quite aware of the other's intention to avoid any serious problems, but they couldn't just leave it like that. The pilot wasn't really _that _bad; he was a good person at heart. He, Jory and Abby got to know him better when they wandered off into the jungle with him. Everything was going smoothly until-

-_this_ happened. The stupid accident that made Captain Russell act crazy.

Since it occurred, they couldn't really rely on him anymore. But he and Jory, fully understanding the situation, knew that the middle-aged man needed their help; it's not like it was his fault. However, it seemed that he and Jory were the only ones still believing in Captain's innocence. What shocked him the most was Abby's behaviour. He felt somehow betrayed when the Asian didn't stay on their side. She should, after all. The three of them were the only ones that knew the real, good side of the man.

Sighing, the teenager placed the camera in front of him, switching it on and starting his monologue.

_**Ian's VD: **Today's the 132th day on this island. This _hell _is slowly making me crazy. Or rather the people here make me crazy. I still can't understand their way of solving issues. How can we rely on the democracy, when everyone is voting so thoughtlessly? I mean, how are they supposed to vote on something they have absolutely no idea about? How can this people vote to decide of somebody's fate? Especially if this person is someone whom they don't even know. I think that _Jackson _should have stopped this madness; he's a leader after all. _And _he's my friend. But it seems that the others are more important for him. And Abby?! How could she do_ that_? She, out of all people, should be the first one to defend him. I guess I was wrong when I thought the people here are reliable..._

When Ian continued filming, he was unaware of a girl standing right behind him; her eyes filled with tears.

-

-

-

Jackson couldn't help but grin widely at the sight of seven, big fish that were in his hands. He admitted that he was getting better day by day and was quite proud of himself. The times like this made him thank the God for the blond, clueless girl he knew. If it wasn't for her, he would have never _ever _known how to fish. He'd be probably still running around in the water with a stick in his hand.

When Cody Jackson arrived at the fire pit, he was greeted with a sight of Jory and Melissa sitting beside each other. While the first one was looking quite angry, the Asian had a small smile on her face and her hand was gently patting her companion's back.

"Jory, you know it's for the best." Melissa tried to soothe her. "Besides, there's not really anything else we can do."

Jory sighed, but nodded her head slightly. Then, the both girls finally noticed Jackson's arrival.

"Hey Jackson," said Melissa in a voice he had never recognized before. "wow, that's a _big_ fish you've got here."

The boy smirked at his _girlfirend's _(the word was making him swell with pride) flirty attitude. "Yup, it is. Jory, can you clean it? It's getting late and I'm sure that Eric's gonna be here in a minute complaining about his work and hunger."

Melissa laughed, pouring the already boiled water into the bottles. Jory saw Jackson gazing at the Asian and took her cue to leave.

"I'll go look for Daley. She went to ask the boys if they had found any fruit; it was like half an hour ago. I'm sure she and Nathan are getting it on somewhere in the jungle." she snorted and disappeared between the trees.

Melissa giggled, then turned to look at Jackson and caught his smoldering gaze. She blushed and quickly looked down, hiding her burning cheeks. "Um... Jory's been upset about the vote. She says it's unfair. That we should give the man a chance to make it up to us."

Jackson sighed and shook his head. "Melissa, you know he's unpredictable."

"I know. I'm really scared." admitted the Asian, looking at him. "He can be back anytime."

Jackson wiped his hands dry with a towel and sat down beside Melissa. "Hey," he started. "don't be scared. You know that we won't let him hurt any of us. Definitely _I_ won't let him hurt _you_."

"Thanks, Jackson." giggled Melissa. "I don't think I have to be bothered anymore though. With all those _macho boys_ around me."

Jackson stared at her suspiciously. "All the boys? Am I missing something?"

"Why? Are you jealous?" Melissa stared at him seductively. "I'm sure Nathan would do _anything _for me. And Eric-" the girl was stopped with a hand placed over her mouth.

"Stop." he growled. "I don't want to hear about _Eric_."

The Asian laughed loudly, removing his hand. "You're jealous!"

Jackson shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Oh yes, you _are_!" grinned Mel. "Remember the time when Taylor had spread the rumour about me and Nathan trying to take over the island? And then she had said we're hooking up, too. You were _so _jealous back then! I remember this look of relief on your face when I revealed that the whole thing was about Nathan liking Daley."

Jackson sighed with a small smile on his face. "Okay, I admit I was a bit _disturbed_ with the idea. But it had nothing to do with jealousy."

"Yeah, right." mocked Melissa. "_Disturbed_. You were fuming. Actually you looked like you were about to-" Melissa's gasp was muffled when his lips covered hers.

It wasn't anything particularly sensational; just a pair of lips touching, without any moving. It lasted only a couple of seconds, before Jackson withdrew, leaving her all dizzy and shocked. The boy smirked at her in his usual, flirty way before nodding at her slightly and leaving; probably to continue fishing.

Melissa stared after him, still visibly shaken; thinking that she could never imagine their first kiss to be any better. She almost jumped when she heard a loud bang behind her.

"Shit! I'm freaking hungry! And this work makes me want to break something!" panted Eric, dropping the water containers to the ground. "I hate this. I really, _really_ hate this!"

Melissa sighed dreamily, before muttering: "I love this. I really, _really_ love this."

Eric stared at her with a puzzled expression. "Hey, did I miss something?"

-

-

-

"Ian! Ian, wait!"

The boy turned around, a scowl visible on his face. "Yes, Jory?"

"Nathan was looking for you. You're supposed to help him with the food today and he's been complaining that you disappeared leaving him with all the work to do." explained the girl. "What's going on, Ian?"

The boy snorted and sat on the sand. "Like he couldn't manage himself."

The girl dismissed his words. "You're still upset about the votes, right?" Jory asked, kneeling next to him. "I was, too. But I discussed this with Melissa and she said that-"

"-let me guess. That it's for the best? Or that he has changed completely?" Ian crossed his arms angrily. "Don't tell me that you're falling for this, too."

"But, Ian, I'm sure their intentions aren't bad." argued Jory.

"Jory, can't you see it?" hissed Ian. "They are _brainwashing_ us! With Melissa in the lead. She's the one with her _oh-so-innocent_ face. She always plays the perfect psychologist. They've all changed. They've changed Abby, too."

Jory looked sceptical. "I think you're overreacting, Ian."

"No, I'm not! Now she's trying to do the same with you!" shouted the boy. "Don't you listen to them, Jory. Abby had once said that we can't create a civilisation in the jungle; now they are stupid enough to believe that they can. Instead of going out to find the Captain, help him and together search for any signs of rescue, the just _settled_ down here! Don't you understand? They are not trying to survive anymore. They are now building a new society here! Like... like... a tribe!"

"Ian! Stop it!" Jory covered her ears. "I don't want to hear that anymore. We're both upset about the situation with a pilot, but we can't act like that-"

"-no!" Ian breathed in deeply, calming himself. "Listen, Jory. I won't be changing my mind anytime soon. You just... Observe what's there around you. And you will soon realise that I'm right."

-

-

-

The kids were all back to work after the dinner break already, when Nathan dragged Daley back to the direction of the camp; the girl was trudging behind him with a bit of difficulty. The wind was extremely gusty, forcing the couple hesitate before making each step.

"What's up with this weather?" complained Nathan. "It was all sunny and the sky was clear just an hour ago."

Daley stopped, panting heavily. "I don't know. The weather here is really unpredictable." the girl looked up at the at the cloudy sky. "The clouds just appeared in less then half an hour and it turned all black. God, I can barely manage to stand straight."

"Here, I'll give you a hand." offered Nathan, catching her palm into his and helping her to walk. "We've got to secure all the important things. It's gonna be a rough night."

Daley shook her head sadly. "I hope it's not going to be like the first time the storm had hit." she shouted, trying to overcome all the noise. "I don't know if we'll be able to start from scratch again."

Nathan stopped and pecked the redhead briefly on her lips. "Don't worry. We're much more experienced right now. Everything we'll be alright." he said. "But we've got to hurry!"

Daley and Nathan finally managed to get back to the camp, finding it in the complete mess. Everyone were running around, catching all the things they could and putting them safely into the plane. Nathan jumped to Lex and Jackson, helping them to secure the food shelter; Daley ran to Taylor and Melissa who were picking up the clothes.

"Taylor, carry all the laundry into the plane. Melissa, come with me to take care of the tent." the girls nodded and quickly got to their work. Daley crawled inside the tent and passed some things into the Asian's hands.

"Where is Jory?" Melissa shrugged her shoulders, taking her own backpack into her arms. "Mel, if you see her, tell her to help us in here. There's a lot of things to be taken." Melissa nodded and ran off. Daley grabbed Taylor's backpack and stepped out of the tent, bumping into Eric in the process.

"Eric! Take Abby and carry all the boys' things into the plane!" she screamed. "And tell Jackson that Jory is missing."

"Ian's missing too!" Eric said. "In fact I haven't seen him since breakfast."

"Don't stand here! Tell Jackson!" Eric nodded and ran off.

After throwing the backpack into the plane, Daley looked around her. Everyone were busy doing something, but she still couldn't find Jory or Ian. She felt someone patting her on the back and turned, seeing Jackson.

"Listen, we've secured the food, I hope it can withstand the storm. I was thinking about taking it to the plane, but we haven't got time for that." he said. "You make sure that everyone take care of the stuff. It all has to be in the plane. I'll take Nathan to look for Ian and Jory."

Daley nodded. "Be careful."

-

-

-

Jory ran after Ian, trying to catch up to him. The weather was getting much worse and she was afraid that they might get stuck in the jungle; she was unable to stop Ian though. He was running deeper and deeper between the trees, calling the pilot's name.

"Ian!" screamed Jory. "Please stop! I know you've seen him, but it's impossible to look for him in that condition. Please let's just come back. It's dangerous!"

Ian picked up the pace, searching for the glimpse of something he had seen before. "No! He's close; we can't lose this opportunity."

Jory looked up at the sky. "Ian, please. It can start raining in the matter of second."

Jory groaned, seeing that Ian was totally ignoring his words. She contemplated running away and heading back to the camp, but decided that the boy wasn't exactly in a right state of mind now; going away would mean leaving him to death. The girl followed him, feeling the first raindrops fall on her skin. Suddenly, she felt something move behind her and she screamed, falling to the ground in the process.

Ian stopped hearing Jory's call for help. Hesitatingly, he turned around and ran to her side; just when he knelt next to her he saw Jory staring at something next to her head. Following her line of vision, he saw it.

A small, brown box with gold edges was laying there. His eyes met Jory's for a second, before he reached for it.

"I-ian." whimpered Jory shakily, damp from the rain. "Don't touch it. How do you know it's safe?"

Ian shook his head and grasped the item tightly. "You're not going to know if you don't check it." with these words, Ian opened the box and stared inside.

Jory noticed the scroll of paper, but it wasn't really the thing that caught her attention. There were two black stones; not bigger than a size of her palm. When Ian touched one of them, it started to glow, its color changing to the one of dried blood - dark red. He quickly withdrew his hand, gasping.

"Haematite." whispered Ian.

Jory looked at him. "These are... normal stones. Right?"

Ian was quiet for a moment before he stared at her with a serious expression. "They don't look so normal for me. You saw the way it glowed? And it was warm when I touched it, too."

Jory stood up quickly, shaking her head frantically. "No. They are just normal stones."

The boy didn't answer that.

"Iaaan!" Jory heard the scream from the distance. She snapped.

"Nathan! We're here!" she answered, briefly catching the sharp sound of the box closing. She looked at Ian as he caught her arm.

"We're going back. But you don't know anything about this box. You understand?"

Jory shuddered. "Yes."

-

-

-

Nathan cuddled to Daley, his whole body wet and clothes damp. The girl took out the towel and started drying his face and hair; meanwhile her insides were full of fury for Ian and Jory, who were the reason of this whole mess.

"Could you please explain us why weren't you back there in the camp to help secure the things? Not to mention the problems you've caused Jackson and Nathan, who went out to look for you. Now you're all drenched."

Ian ignored the girl. Jory, who was sitting next to the boy in the back of the plane, looked at the redhead apologetically. "I'm sorry, Daley. We went out with Ian to... talk. But then the wind started blowing and we were deep in the jungle, it was difficult to come back. It started raining; we got lost and... Thank you, Jackson, Nathan. For finding us."

"And you, Ian?" Daley still didn't look convinced. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Ian lifted his head up and glared. Daley opened her mouth, but was stopped by Nathan, who placed his head on her shoulder. "It's okay. Let him be. I don't think it's a good time to talk about it."

Nathan and Daley cuddled for warmth, forgetting about the whole situation. Melissa and Jackson were sitting next to each other with a blanket covering them, their hands secretly linked together underneath. Eric curled up next to Taylor, who was holding Lex. Abby sat silently; close to Ian and Jory.

"It's cold." whined Taylor. "How long do you think the storm's gonna last?"

"Hopefully not long or I'm going to die of starvation." answered Eric, making _almost_ everyone snicker. "What? You think it's funny?"

"Kind of." said Jackson sarcastically.

"That's our _almighty_ Eric." grinned Nathan. "The world around is being crashed by a storm, but all he can think about is _food_."

"Hey at least I'm being realistic." argued the boy. "The food is the most impor-"

Eric broke off, hearing the loud bang outside the plane. The castaways fell silent.

* * *

**A/N: **Second chapter is done. It focused mainly on Ian and Jory, but it doesn't mean that they're going to be main characters. I just needed this part to develop the whole plot.

The title has a double meaning - direct (the kids are experiencing the last day of peace before the storm hits) and metaphorical (the chapter precedes the new problems the castaways will face).

And don't worry. Ian won't be evil forever. (:


	3. Chapter 3: When it hits the hardest

**Author's note: **I'm sorry for updating so slowly! The summer break has started here in Poland, and I was in Egypt for two weeks. I was also suffering from an awful writer's block! This chapter is full of action, there's no romance unfortunately. (: Sorry. I'm also a romance-lover and I promise there will be _lots _of romance later!

Thank you for your reviews and patience. I'm really satisfied, because I think that for someone who just started writing and is not really good in it, I get quite a lot of reviews, alerts and favs. Thanks again!

And one more thing - I'm looking for a beta. I don't really know how it works, so can someone help me and tell me how to find one? I'd be really grateful! If someone's interested in checking my story/stories - please let me know!

**Length: **4,428 words

**Warning: **Lots of mistakes in grammar.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own F29D.

* * *

The loud bang echoed in their heads; their eyes switching frantically from their faces back to the windows. The silence was impossible to bear anymore as Jackson slowly opened his mouth to say something; possibly offer to check what's going on outside. His efforts were cut short by the roar of thunder; the girl in his arms jumped fiercely, letting a small squeak escape her plump lips.

Grasping the last remains of courage left inside him, the boy bravely stood up and glanced at Eric and Nathan. "We should go and check it, guys."

Eric inwardly shuddered and slid deeper into his sleeping bag. "Man, I don't think it's a good idea to go out there."

"For once, I agree with Eric." admitted Nathan. "It's... scary?"

Taylor sneezed, clutching Lex harder. "It's like one of those freaky horror films with Boogeyman killing everyone around."

* * *

**Club 29 DWN: Back**

Chapter 3: _When it hits the hardest_

(day 132 evening - day 133 morning)

* * *

The rain was falling heavily; the drops hitting the plane's roof rumbled loudly, disturbing the last reminders of peace left in the shelter. Occasionally you could hear the thundering in the distance; the flash of lightening sneaking inside through the windows also scared the girls, making them cuddle to the closest thing available - most probably one of the 'macho' boys.

Speaking of which, none of them seemed to like the idea of playing a hero in the current situation. Ian sat in the corner, fingering a little box, placed safely in his pocket, totally ignoring the rest of the crew. Lex snuggled into Taylor, who was holding him in a deathly grip. Eric seemed to be the least one to take action, having covered himself completely with a blanket; as well as Nathan who stayed quiet ever since they had heard the loud noise outside for the second time this night. Even Jackson, who was well known for his cool attitude, looked terrified.

The situation was serious. It was obvious that somebody was outside; the noise they had heard must have been created by a person hitting the plane with some kind of an object. When the castaways heard the sound for the second time they were certain that it couldn't have been a coincidence.

The flash of lightning occurred again, making everyone jump/shudder/gasp. Taylor, whose eyes were staring right at the window in the opposite of her, screamed loudly. "Oh God! _He's here_!"

Following the blonde's line of vision, nine pairs of eyes turned to look at this particular place. The lightning flashed again, revealing an empty space behind the window.

Melissa was the first to break the silence. "What was that?" she whispered. "I can't see anything."

"He was there!" protested the other girl. "I've seen him! He's... gone now."

"Taylor, who?" asked Nathan shakily. "Who was the one you've seen?"

Taylor shuddered, before lowering her eyes to the ground. "A tall man in a dark coat... He's come back."

"Captain Russell?" mumbled Eric from under the blanket.

Everyone turned to look at the blonde expectantly.

"I think so." she answered finally.

The survivors glanced at each other nervously; each of them trying to figure the way to solve the problem. Eric, as if predicting what's about to come, hid under the blanket, _again_.

"Someone needs to come outside." said Jackson firmly. "I'd say it would be safer for the two people to do this."

"I think that the two of the boys should go." stated Lex. "No offense to any of the girls, but... If it's really Captain Russell, I suppose he won't be friendly. So... um, the strongest guys are the best option."

The girls nodded in agreement. Jackson lifted himself, sighing softly. "So I guess I'm meant to go. Who's the lucky number two?"

Eric layed unmoving, hiding himself. Nathan, seeing no other option, opened his mouth to volunteer. However, he was interrupted with the voice coming from the dark corner of the plane. "I'll go."

Jackson shook his head immediately. "No."

"It's not a problem." Nathan stood up next to Cody. "I'll do it."

Ian moved to the door. "No, I want to go."

"Oh no, you don't." Jackson grabbed the boy's arm tightly. "We all know that you're not in the best state right now."

Ian struggled. "Who are you to tell me what I should do or not?" he growled. "I'm perfectly capable of making decisions on my own. You better let go of me."

"Is that a threat?" asked Cody in a calm voice, staring straight into his eyes.

Ian scoffed. "And what if it is?"

Their glaring contest continued, Jackson's hand still gripping the boy's arm tightly. The others stared terrified, especially Jory, who regretted her decision to stay silent about the whole 'box' thing now. However, her lips had barely opened to tell everyone about their secret when she was cut off by a loud cry, which startled her.

"Take your hands off me!" screamed Ian, pushing Jackson away by pressing his hands into his chest. "I told you to stay away and I won't repeat that."

The leader lost his temper. "If that's the way you want to solve it."

All the girls gasped loudly when they saw the two boys lunge at each other; Jackson's fist collided with his opponent's stomach first. The other boy didn't wait long to punch Cody straight into his face; making the higher guy stumble backwards to the wall. Jackson wiped the blood from his nose angrily and straightened, ready to show Ian who's the strongest out of their two.

He was stopped by Nathan, who caught his arm. "Wait, he's not worth it."

Jackson nodded and sighed when he saw Eric catch Ian from behind, sending him forcefully to the floor. The usually lazy boy held his friend's hands while trying to stop him from struggling. "It's no use. We've got to knock him out. He's become totally crazy!"

Nathan and Jackson ran to Eric to help him out, while Melissa turned to the terrified Taylor. "Give me the first aid kid! _Fast_!"

Once the Asian had a bag in her hand, she and Daley began to search frantically for the right item.

"Girls!" panted Eric. "Faster!"

"Got it!" shouted Melissa and ran to the boys with a syringe in her hand. Once she got there, she quickly stabbed Ian into his arm; successively knocking him out. The Asian put the item away and shook her head. "I can't believe I just did that."

Taylor placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault he's gone totally insane."

"Tay's right." agreed Daley. "We couldn't just sit there doing nothing while Ian attacked Jackson."

"Don't worry, Mel. You're good at stabbing." grinned Eric. "My leg knows something about that."

-

-

-

Half an hour later, after hearing more strange noises from outside, Jackson and Nathan finally decided to take action by going outside and checking the area. They both put their waterproof jackets on and covered their heads with hoods.

"Keep your eyes open while we're gone." commanded the leader. "And don't let Ian go when he wakes up, hopefully we'll be back before that happens."

Eric nodded. "Sure thing, boss. You can count on me."

"Just don't panic if you hear something again!" screamed Nathan, trying to outshout the loud weather after he had opened the plane's doors. "We'll be close by."

"Be careful." said Daley.

The boys disappeared and suddenly it became really, really quiet.

-

-

-

It was quite funny in fact. He always played the perfect guy, who had an answer for every question, who was the link connecting the whole group, who was some kind of a _mainstay_. Not only on the island, but also before the crash, he was known to be a great leader, reliable and trustworthy. So, one can only imagine, how strange he felt in his current position.

Nathan McHugh was simply terrified.

He was from the leader, whom he once have been. He was terribly scared and he didn't hide it. He didn't need to, anyway, because the guy walking next to him was in the same state he was, if not worse. Just looking at Jackson, who always kept his cool in every situation, was unnerving. Who is supposed to be calm, if not their own boss?

After leaving the plane both boys decided that they shouldn't wander far from the plane, in case the man appeared again, so they could at least see who it was. They knew it was silly to think that way, of course it _had_ to be Captain Russell. Who else could be on this cursed, deserted island?

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted, when Jackson tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the beach, indicating that they should move in that direction. He nodded slightly, and they moved, with their heads down to shield from the rain.

"I can't see anything!" shouted Nathan, when they got to their destination.

Jackson, who was standing with his arm shielding his face, shook his head. "Stay alert! He must be somewhere near."

As if answering their questions, the loud bang was heard, making them jump in surprise. The boys turned around quickly, just in time to see a dark figure run into the jungle. The short glance at each other was enough to understand.

The boys broke into a run.

-

-

-

"Eric, don't fall asleep." grumbled Taylor, shaking her companion fiercely, making him groan unhappily.

"Easy there..." he moaned while rubbing his left eye. "I'm quite tired, you know, it has been two hours already. I'm tired of playing a bodyguard. And I'm freaking sleepy."

The blonde crossed her arms and looked away from the boy laying beside her. She snorted inwardly. How could she ever think that Eric could take his job seriously? Come on, even her, _the_ Taylor Hagan, was more serious than that boy. Can't he, for once in his life, understand that this situation is really... freaky? And in Taylor's dictionary, 'freaky' meant 'it sucks' which equals 'I DON'T WANNA DIE HERE!' situation?!

Yes, for Taylor Hagan, the soon-to-be-the-most-famous-Hollywood-actress this was a life or death situation. And she wasn't fond of the idea of dying in such an early age. Not to mention, the previous display of strong... negative emotions performed by none other than Ian kind of freaked her out. And she would give everything just to be back in her comfy room, in her Victoria's Secret nightie and fluffy, pink slippers.

A loud thunder reminded her that she was far, far from her home in L.A.

Shakily, the blonde reached into her backpack and took out the camera.

_**Taylor's V.D.: **Taylor Hagan speaking. I've been left in the plane with an idiot, four sleeping girls, a child __and a crazy psycho. As the only sane person here I've got a question: God, what have I done to deserve this? The Boogeyman is outside, yeah, I think he has just finished murdering Nathan and Jackson now. In horrors, the pret__ty blondes are always the first ones to go. So yeah, cheers._

A click was heard when Taylor closed the camera and placed it back in its original place. The quiet noise didn't go unnoticed by Jory, who sat up groggily and looked around. When she saw everybody excluding Taylor sleeping, she crawled to her side and sighed. "They're not back yet, huh?"

"As you can see." said Taylor placing her chin on her knees. "Are you scared?"

"Yeah, I am a bit. I've never been afraid of storms back at home, but here is... different." answered Jory. "We are here alone, nobody's gonna help us and... someone's out there. Even if it can be Captain Russell, it's still freaky."

"Yeah."

The two sat quietly for a while, their eyes trained on the window in front of them. The sound of rain hitting the roof was the only thing they could hear; with the occasional thunders or Eric's snoring.

Jory played with her fingers nervously, fighting with herself inwardly. "Taylor, do you remember how I wandered off with Ian into the jungle?"

The blonde nodded sleepily, her eyes still on the window.

"It's just..." continued Jory. "I need to tell you something that happened here. Ian found this little bo-"

Melissa, Daley, Abby and Lex all awoke in a second, when the door to the plane opened with a loud crash.

-

-

-

They've been running as fast as they could for ten minutes already, when the man in a long dark coat had finally stopped.

Nathan and Jackson panted heavily; the first one leaned on the nearest tree while the second dropped to the ground with a thud. Both waited a few seconds for their vision to clear, but when they looked up they weren't sure, if their senses are still not fooling them.

"What the fuck...?!" Jackson blurted out, staring at the scene before him.

The man in the long, black coat was standing in the middle of some kind of a temple made of what they suspected to be marble. The temple consisted of five, white pillars and a simple white roof. All of it was covered in paintings, which they couldn't make out from the distance. The man stared at them with an unreadable expression, before taking out a small object from his coat's pocket. It was a small object wrapped in a white shawl.

The man reached out his other hand to unwrap the package. Suddenly, the wind intensified, almost blowing off the coat from the man's shoulders.

Nathan gasped. "_Shit_! Am I totally... crazy... or was this man wearing-"

"-an ancient Roman robe?" finished Jackson uncertainly.

The boys looked at each other.

"We both saw it. I didn't lose my mind." concluded Nathan quietly.

Jackson made a few steps in the direction of the man; his hands up in surrender. "Listen, we want to talk!" he shouted. "Who are you? We are the survivors of the plane crash! Flight 29!"

The man shouted a few words but the boys didn't catch what he had said.

Nathan looked at Jackson who shrugged his shoulders helplessly, then he screamed: "Could you repeat?"

The man shouted again and this time they were certain they had heard but they still didn't understand, because he was simply using a foreign language.

"Is he speaking... Latin?" asked Jackson staring at Nathan with a shocked expression. "Do you speak English?!" he screamed to the mysterious man once again.

The man spared them a one last glance, before looking at the object in his hand again. He unwrapped it carefully, letting the two castaways see a black stone in his hand. He reached out his hand and touched it; the stone glowed the dark red color. The man said a few words under his breath and a second later, disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

Nathan blinked a few times, then rubbed his eyes. He closed them, opened, closed again, and opened. There was not a trace of the man they had seen just a second ago. He was simply... _gone_.

Jackson turned to his companion, his face holding an unreadable expression. "Tell me you saw the whole thing too. Tell me that the stay on this island is not rubbing off on me. _Tell me _I haven't gone mad."

"I can't say you're not crazy cause' I'm starting to doubt my sanity, too." said Nathan. "But man, yeah... I saw _that_."

-

-

-

Abby shrunk in her dark corner, staring at the scene in front of her. Her ears hurt from all the Taylor's screaming and the loud, psychotic laughter coming from the only (at least as far as they know) adult on the island. Captain Russell stormed into the plane and closed the door after himself; he took a quick look around himself with distaste.

"Well, well, well, quite comfy, aren't we?" he commented, plopping down next to Taylor and throwing an arm around her. "Hello there, Blondie."

Taylor made a sound of disgust. "Go away, you pedophile!" she screeched, pulling his arm away.

Her voice died out, when she saw the shiny knife that the man next to her was tightly gripping.

"Easy there." cooed the former pilot. "I thought we all could have a nice chick-chat before we get to the business."

Daley shuddered. "And that business might be...?"

"Oh, I thought we could go on a little trip, you know." laughed the older man. "Since you all treat this place like your home, you might want to have a little break from your everyday activities."

"I might not." snorted Eric, cutting in the pilot speech.

"Well, you can have your own trip then." muttered the man sadistically, shoving his knife to his face. "Ten feet under the ground."

Eric shut up.

"Well, here we are, having a nice conversation, but time is running out." said the pilot in a high-pitched voice. "Up, kids!"

Lex, Daley, Melissa, Jory, Taylor and Eric all obediently stood up. Abby came as the last, her eyes noticing the light stirring of the boy beside her. Ian was waking up.

"I'm dissapointed." tsked the man. "Where are my two favourite boys? And why is that one not rising?"

"We knocked him out." explained Lex. "He won't be up for long."

Captain Russell pushed the kids outside. "Well then, I fear he's forced to miss our fantastic trip."

The seven followed the pilot, who was strolling in front of them. Their minds were full of thoughts. Is he going to kill us? Or is he only kidnapping us? What the heck is this man planning?

Melissa felt the light nudge on her side. She turned to see Eric. "Did you take it?" he whispered.

The girl nodded and showed him the syringe discreetly.

The man turned around. "Don't try anything! Remember that the last minute offers are still available!"

-

-

-

Meanwhile, Nathan and Jackson were inside the temple, looking for any signs of the man. The taller boy inspected the pillars closely. They were covered in many different paintings, portraying people from various ages. Each of them was different, but they were linked by one thing - the black stone they held in their hands.

Nathan stared at the place where they had seen the mysterious man for the last time and shook his head. "I can't believe it. It's like he has never been there before. There's not a trace of him here."

"Look, the people in the paintings all hold the black stone this man had." pointed out Jackson. "Do you think that this thing can be some kind of an object used to travel?"

"Travel in time?" asked Nathan incredulously with his eyes wide.

"Well... Yeah, that's what I've thought of." admitted Cody. "But it's impossible, isn't it?"

"It _should _be." muttered Nathan, looking at the roof of the temple, which was covered in a painting of a large, five-pointed star.

Jackson shrugged his arms helplessly. "It's too much for me. I just can't understand this whole thing. Do you think that there are more of these stones?"

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I do."

Suddenly, Jackson turned around and looked in the direction they had come from earlier. He heard some loud sounds from the distance, recognizing one of them as a high-pitched voice of Taylor. "Nathan, I hear Taylor. But something's not right. They were supposed to wait in the plane. And why, out of all places, are they coming here?"

"Let's hide." muttered Nathan and dragged Jackson behind the large bush.

Soon enough, Captain Russell emerged out of the jungle with the seven castaways walking behind him in a single file. As soon as the eyes of the teens caught the sight in front of them, the loud gasps of awe escaped them.

"What the heck is that?!" groaned Eric staring at the building in front of him.

Captain Russell laughed. "This is, my dear, a pass to the paradise. Prepare for the bumpy ride."

Jackson and Nathan looked at each other, ran out from the behind of the bush and got ready to jump at the unprepared pilot, when they saw Eric run to the man with a loud shout, knocking himself and his victim over in a process. They struggled on the ground, before the older man pushed Eric off, just in time to avoid being stabbed with a syringe by Melissa. He growled loudly.

"You! You ungrateful brats! I was going to show you something you've never seen before!" he screamed. "But, if you want it that way..."

With a quick motion of his arm, the man caught Jory (who was standing the closest to him) and placed a knife over her throat. The girl didn't dare to scream, her eyes wide and terrified. The other teens gasped.

"Leave her alone!" screamed Lex, standing next to Daley and Nathan, who were holding each other. "What have we done to you?"

Captain Russell slowly moved towards the temple. "You had it quite comfy here, didn't you? While you, brats, were enjoying your stay on the island in the group, _I _had to manage on my own and deal with _him_!"

"Who are you talking about?" asked Jackson.

"He showed me this." continued the man, now standing in the middle of the marble building. "He took me _back_. But then, he said I'm crazy and he has to take _it_. But I didn't give it to him... because it's mine now, only mine!"

Nathan shook his head sadly. Captain Russell has totally lost his mind.

Jackson tried again. "Listen, I don't know what that... _man _has done to you. You can do whatever you want just let Jory go."

"Oh no, she's going with me." said the pilot and took out something from his pocket, unwrapped it and placed on his palm. "She's going to see what I've seen. And you'll be regretting your decision to stay."

The rest of the teens could only watch how he placed his and Jory's hand over the stone. It started to glow and then they both disappeared.

-

-

-

Their walk back to the plane was very quiet considering all the things they have just witnessed. Nathan and Jackson shortly explained what they had seen before, and Daley told the boys all about the pilot's sudden appearance when they were gone. Making sure they have memorized the way back to the temple, the castaways were considerably calm.

"She wanted to tell me something." Taylor broke the silence after they have arrived in the camp. It was morning already and the storm has passed; the sky became as clear as it was the day before. "But Captain Russell interrupted her."

"Jory?" asked Daley.

Taylor nodded. "She started saying something about that time when her and Ian wandered off into the jungle. She told me Ian found something but she didn't get to finish."

"Do you think that they've discovered the temple?" asked Lex.

"Maybe." said Daley. "But then again Ian was really quiet about the whole thing. He was usually the first one to break the news to everyone when something has happened. On the other side, he was a _little_ pissed off lately..."

"Speaking of which, where is he?" asked Jackson.

Melissa, Taylor, Daley, Eric and Lex all looked at each other nervously. Abby rushed into the plane.

"You didn't leave him here, did you?" asked Nathan. "Tell me you didn't leave him."

"Nathan, he was unconscious-" explained Melissa quietly. "-and Captain Russell insisted for us to go with him quickly and-"

"He's gone." interrupted Abby, who just got out from the plane. "But he's left this behind."

Everyone gathered around her in a small circle to see the thing she was holding in her hand. It was a small, brown box with gold edges. There was a note attached to it.

_In case that something happens to me - I have the other one. Try to understand, I had to go my own way. Tell Jory I'm sorry that I couldn't take her with me. Take care. Ian._

"Well, we won't be able to tell it Jory anytime soon." muttered Eric.

Jackson reached out for the small box and opened it. There was a scroll of paper and a small black stone inside, the third they've seen that day.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed reading the third chapter. (: I promise that now the updates will be back to normal. The next chapter is going to be a big turn in the story. You probably already know what will happen. (: It's quite easy to guess.

Poor Jory. And what happened to Ian? Where are they? I know, but you don't, ehehe. You have to wait until the next chapter is up.


	4. Chapter 4: Decisions

**Author's note:** Yes, I'm alive! After one year break of writing I decided to come back here and try to update most of my stories. (: I can't believe it has really been a year, time flies so fast. So, a nice Jackson/Melissa moment in that one, as well as an explanation of what happened to Ian after he disappeared from the camp.

Thank you for all the reviews and I hope there's not so many grammar mistakes in that one.

**Length: **5,721 words

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Flight 29 Down.

* * *

The seven teenagers stood in a tight circle, Jackson squished in between them, grasping a small box and a piece of paper. He reached his hand to touch the black stone inside the package, but was interrupted by a gasp coming from the blonde female of their group.

"Don't touch it, Jackson! You don't know what that can be!" she warned and catched his wrist in mid-air.

"She's right," said Melissa softly. "You saw what happened to Jory and Captain Russell. He held that stone when they disappeared."

"That doesn't necessarily means something," argued Daley. "We can't be sure that this little stone is responsible for their dissapearance."

"Oh, come on Daley, we all know that this thing is somehow connected with it," snapped Eric. "The questions are - where did it come from and how do you use it?"

"It can't be that difficult," mused Lex out loud. "If Captain Russell and Ian were able to use it."

"And that cloaked guy," added Nathan. "We found him with Jackson in that temple... and he disappeared, too."

"Alright," sighed Taylor. "I see that you're all afraid to voice it, so I'm gonna do it for you. It is pretty obvious that it must be some kind of 'time-travel stone'. That guy must have been from other times, probably ancient or so if Jackson and Nathan saw him wearing an ancient robe. As for Ian and the captain, they must have found these stones by accident. Now the most important matter - what are we gonna do with that, chief?"

Everyone turned to look at Jackson.

* * *

**FLIGHT 29 DWN: Back**

Chapter 4: _Decisions_

(day 133 morning - day 134 evening)

* * *

Jackson sighed exasperatedly at his friends' antics and sighed for the umpteenth time that day. He knew everyone relied on him and waited for his decision, but it's not like it was easy for him to think about such a strange matter. Especially since he was never the one to believe in those supernatural stuff like time travelling. He was clearly aware of what he saw; knew that his eyes were not playing games on him (especially since the other castaways saw that too) but on the other hand he was not really sure what to do about it. Go after Ian, Jory and the mad captain? It didn't really seem like a good idea.

The others did not help him to think about the problem, too. Nathan and Daley kept following him around until lunch; even the fact that he lost his temper and snapped at him didn't discourage the two.

"Jackson!" kept whining Daley in a very unlikely for her voice. "We all know that we have to do something about it! We can't leave Ian and Jory like that. What if they need us?"

And even though the boy reminded her about the fact that Ian left because that's what he wanted, the girl kept pressuring him; along with Nathan who seemed to be extremely excited about the whole time travelling idea like a little boy. If the situation had been different, Jackson was sure he would have laughed out loud.

Not everyone seemed to be thrilled about the idea of using the newly discovered stones, though. Eric approached the already pissed-off teenager at least three times during two hours to remind him that no matter what Jackson decides, he won't be going on a so-called adventure with a bunch of crazy teenagers.

Having ran out of any other ideas, Jackson made his way to where the youngest survivor was examining the black stone they found. If there was any sane person in the group he could turn to for any useful advice, he decided, it was definitely Lex. He sat down next to the boy and tapped him gently on his shoulder.

"Lex? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, after making sure that none of the rest castaways was around.

"Sure," answered the boy. "Why are you looking around? You don't want anyone to eavesdrop?"

"No, it's just that your sister and her boyfriend have been pestering me for hours, telling me that we should immediately do something about this whole situation," sighed Jackson. "And frankly I'm quite annoyed. They treat those things so simply; like we should just go there on a whim, no matter what the consequences can be."

Lex shook his head with a sigh and Jackson thought that this boy was smarter than at least half of the other kids on the island, "Nathan always seemed to be like that, but I'm surprised that Daley didn't think it through. She always did before. It seems that Nathan has got a huge influence on her,"

"That's why I wanted to know what you think about it. Knowing you, you've probably come up with some ideas already," chuckled Jackson.

If the boy was even a bit embarrassed by the comment, he didn't let it show, "Actually I think we should split up; a three, maybe four of us should go and check if this thing really works and look for Ian and Jory. The rest should stay here in case something happens,"

"It seems like the most reasonable thing to do," agreed Jackson. "But there's another problem. Who should go? I'm sure Nathan will want to go. And Daley would probably follow him blindly-"

"-same with Melissa when it comes to you," finished Lex, ignoring a sheepish smile on his friend's face. "Well there are some things we can be sure of; I won't go, since Daley won't let me to. I don't think that Eric and Taylor would want to go. As for Abby, it's not a good idea to let her go, you remember how her last trip went. I don't really want to see her revert to that crazy mode again," Jackson nodded. "So that leaves-"

"-me, Mel, Nathan and Daley," sighed Jackson. "Somehow it doesn't seem like a good idea for me."

-

-

-

In another time, countless years before the fateful day when the flight 29 crashed, Ian scrambled to his feet in an unknown tropical forest and took a look around himself. Even though the surroundings looked like the forest on the island he spent a couple of last months on, he knew for a fact that this forest was not the one he had seen just a minute ago. Even though the temple he was standing in the middle of looked exatcly the same as before, Ian felt that he was in a completely different place and possibly completely different time.

Taking a shaky breath, the boy tried to remember what exatcly has just happened a while ago. He remembered running from the plane and leaving the note just after the captain had taken the rest of his friends with him, hiding in the bush behind the temple, then seeing Jory dissappear with the captain-

-it seemed so unreal then. But he knew it was the truth, because shortly after Nathan and the rest of company had left, he stood in the middle of the temple and held the glowing stone in his hands, wishing he could stop the captain from kidnapping Jory; then the strong wave came making him fall over and-here he was. He didn't know where yet, but he hoped to be where Jory was, so he could help her.

After seeing the captain attack his friend, Ian deeply regretted his actions from before. He shouldn't have turned his back on his friends, nor acted on his own without their knowing. It was dangerous, but most importantly, Captain Russell was dangerous. No matter if he was sick or not, he could not be forgiven for attacking his friend.

Ian furrowed his brow in concentration to remember his last thoughts before he got sucked in by the strange wave, when the loud roar interrupted him. The boy jumped up in fright and gasped.

It was when he noticed large claws in front of him that he realised that somehow he ended up in prehistorical times.

-

-

-

"Guys, guys!" Jackson snapped his fingers trying to make everyone pay attention to him. It was already evening and along with the rest of the group the teenager decided that it was the time for the meeting; they needed to talk this problem over so they could be sure they're not making any stupid moves. Of course the meeting started with a loud argument between those who wanted to go, and those who didn't. Jackson tried hard not to explode, after all it was hard not to let that happen with constant screaming of Nathan and Taylor. "Please guys! Just sit down and let me tell you something," Eric and Nathan were the last one to take their seats. "Thanks."

Jackson was about to begin, when he heard a timid voice belonging to Melissa, "I just wanted to say that it's not really the best time for us all to argue. Jory was kidnapped by that crazy guy, Ian is God-knows-where but we're still sitting there and arguing like a bunch of kids. It's probably the first _really_ serious matter we have to take care of since the crash. It's about Jory and Ian's lives."

Melissa's words seemed to have a strong impact on the rest, since everyone fell silent and looked at Jackson expectantly.

"Alright, so," started the leader. "we've talked this over with Lex and here's the situation. Jory was taken by Russell and the probably, uh, travelled in time," Jackson was still unsure about the whole time travelling topic. "so we don't really know where they can be. Same with Ian, he can be still here on the island for all we know, as for the strange guy I encountered with Nathan, we should just let him be and focus on finding Jory and Ian first."

"So we both decided that the best option is to split up," continued Lex. "The majority should stay here, while three or four people should try to use the stone, since it's dangerous and we don't know what can happen."

"Another problem is that we don't really know how to use the stone, so-"

"Hold on chief!" interrupted Eric. "Whose gonna go there? Cause if you thought that I'm gonna go, then you're mistaken."

"The thought hasn't even crossed my mind, Eric," muttered Jackson. "Well, I decided that I'll be going and-"

"I'll go, too," said Melissa automatically.

Jackson smiled at her, "That's what I thought. So me and Melissa will be going,"

"I don't think that it's a good idea," said Nathan. "I want to go, too."

"And me!" snapped Daley. "Why is that only you two can go?"

"Don't treat it like a trip, sis," scolded her Lex. "It's actually a very dangerous thing to do, so you should be happy to be left out."

Daley lowered her head in shame, "You're right. I'm sorry. I was thinking only about me and Nathan."

"But you've got a point here," said Abby and looked at Jackson and Mel. "Are you two going to manage? Don't you think that you should take at least one more person with you?"

"I've been thinking about it," admitted Jackson. "But there's not really anyone else than Nathan and Daley who wants to go. I'm not going to force anybody, and to be truthful, I don't want you two to go. You should take care of the camp while we're gone; I wanted Daley to become a leader for that time."

Everyone fell silent for a while, thinking about Jackson's words, until Nathan spoke, "You're right. Me and Daley can't go. You know what? We still have time. We can talk about this issue tomorrow, but now I think we should get some sleep. I don't know about you, but I barely had sleep last night and I'm extremaly tired."

And with that words he gave Daley a kiss on the cheek and went inside his tent; the rest quickly followed his trail of thought and went to sleep as well.

-

-

-

When Ian saw the large animal, whose leg seemed to be the size of him, he instantly regretted the decision to try this time-travelling thing by himself. Apparently, the monster in front of him was a dinosaur and, even though Ian was no expert in that department, he knew that it wouldn't hesitate to eat him right away. What's more, even if he wanted to run, his petrified state would apparently not let him.

The boy would have been probably torn apart by the huge dinosaur if it hadn't been for a hand that tugged on his sleeve and abruptly pulled him backwards. Finally pulled out of from his frozen state, Ian did not waste time on chit-chatting. He ran behind the boy who, as he noted vaguely, was about the same age as he was, maybe a bit older. During their crazy run the former castaway glanced behind himself and saw the large animal run at crazy speed behind him. If they didn't find a shelter soon, they would be damned.

As if reading his thoughts, his newly found companion dragged him behind the huge pile of stones and stilled. He put a finger on his lips to make Ian stay quiet and waited. What seemed to be hours was merely a couple of minutes before the boy stood up hesitantly and looked up, "It's gone," he muttered after a short pause.

"Shit, it was close," said Ian and let out a breath of relief. "Thanks. If it wasn't for you, I would be this dinosaur's lunch right now."

The boy grinned at him and held out his hand, "Actually, breakfast, cause it's like nine in the morning, of course if I was able to calculate it correctly. I'm Jake, by the way,"

Jake was pretty tall, muscular and tanned. He had brown eyes and short, blonde hair. The boy seemed to be familiar and Ian searched through his memory, but couldn't find the right answer. He decided to think about it later.

"Ian," the boys shook their hands. "Can I ask you what you are doing here? You don't exatcly fit into my description of a caveman."

"I apparently got there the same way you did," Jake said, gesturing to the stone in his hand. "There are several of these in the time-space, you know."

"Why here of all the places?" asked Ian curiously. "You could go whenever you wanted, and yet you chose the time when dinosaurs are trying to eat you?"

"Got there by an accident," the boy explained. "Made a wrong wish."

Ian looked at his new friend curiously, "A wish? What do you mean by wish?"

"Oh, so it was your first time travelling, right?" after seeing Ian's nod, he continued. "A wish is something you think while standing in the temple and wanting to get back in time. That's at least how we call it, I mean, the time travellers. It is the most important part of the whole process. If you get the wish wrong, you end up in a wrong time and well, you can't predict what will await you on the other side. Once I ended up in the middle of the Second World War. It was not a funny experience, really."

"So I had to make my wish wrong," mused Ian out loud. "I wanted to chase after my friend and then ended up here. I'm sure they didn't go there."

"You had to mess up your formula. It's especially important when you are trying to catch up to someone," concluded Jake. "Do you remember what you thought back then?"

Ian furrowed his brow in concentration, "I thought 'I want to go back in time to-' and then I got sucked in."

"Beginner's mistake," snorted Jake, taking a seat on a nearby rock. "But I don't blame you, you're a newbie. I've made several mistakes before I got that thing right. You see the golden rule is to get straight to the point. You can't think 'I want to go back in time to be where he is'. It's too long. What's the name of the one you were going to chase?"

"Jory," murmured Ian quietly, the guilt washing over him in waves. If he hadn't been such an ass then maybe, maybe the girl would have been safe. "Her name is Jory."

"Alright. So the right formula should be 'I want to go where Jory went'," explained the boy. "I know there might be a little difference to you, but in fact it is crucial. I am sure that if you had done it like that, then you would have found her."

"But why did I end up here?" inquired Ian. "Why here of all the places?"

"You see, you haven't really said where you want to be, so the stone transported you to an aleatory place," Jake played with the hem of his worn out shirt. "You were just as unlucky as me that you ended up here."

"So, why are you still here?" asked Ian. "Why didn't you just go back as soon as you noticed your mistake?"

"Uh, you see," Jake scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I wanted to see where I got, so I took a little stroll and, unfortunately, encountered one of these dinosaurs you saw earlier. I tried to run away and lost the stone in the process. I couldn't find it, no matter how many times I looked."

Suddenly Ian started to realize why his new friend's face was covered in bruises and his clothes looked like they haven't been washed in months, "How long have you been there?"

"Six months."

-

-

-

When the sun rose the next day, the tension between the teenagers seemed to get even stronger than it was before. Everyone was well aware of the fact that there is no one else who wants to accompany their leader except Melissa. Around noon Jackson was already accepting the fact that they will be going alone, until Abby's words popped into his head and made him slightly nervous. So he decided that they will be taking someone, even found himself considering Nathan as an option.

After an unusually silent lunch, Jackson decided to take a stroll on the beach to clear his mind a little and was not surprised when he noticed Melissa following him. She caught up to him quickly, "Are you okay?"

Jackson smiled at her reassuringly, "Yeah, I just had a lot on my mind lately,"

Melissa nodded as they both sat alongside each other on the sand. The girl would have even considered the setting romantic if it hadn't been for the tension in the air and the obvious miserable mood of her newly established boyfriend. She knew that it would be difficult to cheer him up at the moment, but decided to give it a try, hoping that she wouldn't worsen his mood even more. It was bad enough as it was.

"Jackson?" she murmured, scooting closer to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know there is not really much I can say in that situation, but I just want you to know that I will be feeling secure even if there isn't anyone else with us."

The boy smiled and placed a shoulder around her, successively pressing her body against his side, "Thank you. These words really mean a lot to me. If you're feeling safe with me alone, then I won't be hesitating any longer,"

Jackson reached out his arms and brought Melissa, whose cheeks had strangely reddened in a second, onto his lap. His left hand traced circles on her back as he pressed his nose into her shoulder, "We will be going alone and that's final,"

Suddenly Melissa got nervous and noticed their close proximity for a first time. It's not that it bothered her, no, it's just that she was a pretty shy person in general and being so close to Jackson, who she had had a crush on from the very first time she had laid her eyes on him, was unnerving for her. She tried to control her nerves as hard as she could. She didn't want to worry the boy with her sudden strange behaviour, "If that's what you want,"

"Yes," the boy whispered and lifted his head so he could look into her eyes. "I believe that it is the only right thing to do in this situation."

Staring into Melissa's eyes, Jackson noticed, probably for the first time, how pretty they were. He never really paid attention to detail and all his former girlfriends were just picked out at random; usually they were the first ones to throw themselves at him, not that he minded it at the time. He only cared about the pretty appearance of a girl that he dated. The hotter the girl was labeled by his best pals, the better she was. Now he finally found flaws in that theory, the whole Taylor accident being a proof for that. Not that the girl was shallow, he had had enough time to notice that underneath her facade she was actually a very nice person, but now that he thought about it, he realised that what had drawn him to her at first was her looks. Her personality was okay, but the thing he really liked about her were only her looks.

Melissa was a completely different story. He could faintly remember the image of a girl staring at him with wide eyes as he took his first steps in the new school - she was just another admirer for him then. A few days later she approached him when he was sitting under the tree and desperatly tried to catch his attention, all he did was silently laugh at her clumsiness when she tripped and almost fell because of being too nervous. He thought she was just another girl. There was nothing unusual about her. And suddenly, completely ignoring his lack of interest in her, she helped him. Helped him to get on this trip, even though she knew she won't be getting anything in return. And that was when actually first saw her. She was kind, sincere, positive and always smiling.

It's not that her looks were not enough to attract attention. She was not extremely beautiful, but to call her ugly would be a dumb thing to say. She was someone you could call unique - she was an Asian after all and Jackson never paid attention to Asian girls before. His definition of beauty was a tanned girl with cute face and hair and nice curves. But now he knew that a beautiful girl was not the one with only good looks, she had to have something else, something to attract. And if that was a true definition of that word, he decided, then Melissa was indeed beautiful.

"Mel," the boy lifted her face by her chin. "I know it may not be a right time for that sort of thing, but-"

"That sort of thing?" the girl asked naively, though she knew exactly from his expression what he meant. "What thing?"

"That," he whispered and carefully placed his lips over hers. He cradled her face in his hands and gently nibbled on her bottom lip as a girl let out a soft sigh escape her. She couldn't stop thinking how expertly his lips moved over hers and a thought that he must have had a lot of experience crossed her mind, but she pushed it aside. She shyly began to kiss back, all the while clutching the fabric of his sleeve in her left hand. She didn't really know if she was doing it right, it was her first _real_ kiss after all. But since he didn't pull away she pressed herself a little more against him and continued the kiss. It was when Jackson felt the strong urge to slip his tongue inside her lips that he pulled back, still holding her face in his hands gently. He didn't want to scare the girl, she looked pretty intimidated by the kiss anyway.

"Oh," she grunted out, seemingly at loss of words to say. "I, uh, I think-"

Melissa didn't get to finish as she heard a loud voice getting closer, sprung away from the boy and fell on her butt next to him in the process. Jackson wanted to smirk at her obvious embarrassment, but found it inappropriate. Suddenly, Taylor emerged from behind the tree, "Jackson! I've been looking all over for you. Uh, am I interrupting something?"

"No," said the boy, staring at Melissa, who was now as red as a tomato. "Go on."

Taylor took a seat next to him, "I just wanted to talk to you about something,"

"I'll go," muttered Melissa, thinking that Taylor wanted to speak to Jackson in private. She couldn't forbid them, though she felt slightly offended by the fact. As much as she tried to get over the thing that Taylor had done, she still unconsciously held some grudge to the blonde girl.

"No, wait," Taylor caught Melissa's wrist and tugged her back into a sitting position. "I think you should stay."

"So, what is it about?" asked Jackson, hoping that it wasn't another stupid reason or, even worse, he prayed that she didn't want to talk about their doomed 'love triangle' again.

"It's about that whole time travelling thingy," she said with a strangely serious face. "I wanna go."

Jackson looked at the girl with wide eyes and couldn't conceal an amused tone of his voice, "You want to go?"

"Yes, I do," confirmed Taylor, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why is it so strange?"

"Well, you're not really the first one to act," murmured Melissa as a sudden thought struck her. "It doesn't have anything to do with you trying to get closer to Jackson, does it?"

"Of course not," snorted Taylor. "I'm over that, pleeease."

"Then why do you want to come with us?" asked Melissa suspiciously.

"Well, for one, no one else wants to. Also, I'm tired of sitting there and doing nothing. Last time you guys went to search for the others I regretted that I didn't go," the blonde admitted. "Oh, and don't tell that anyone, but I'm secretly into this thing sooooo much. I've always thought that this idea of time travelling is soo wicked."

Melissa and Jackson shared weird looks. Finally, the boy shrugged, "Well, I guess if you're voluuntering."

-

-

-

Ian trudged behind the tall boy, still in awe that he managed to survive in this conditions for six years. What they had to deal with on the island was nowhere near to it - he could safely say that they had had it easy there. Jake turned his head to the boy who, unconsciously, became his saviour, "I still can't believe my luck. You could end up _anywhere_ and still, you are here! I would have eventually ended up eaten by one of these damn dinosaurs. I swear I'm never gonna watch these old movies - what are they called? Jurassic something? - again,"

"When are you originally from?" asked Ian curiously. The boy seemed to be the same as he was, so he had to be probably from some-when around his ages.

"Well, now that I'm twenty-three," the boy calculated in his head. "I should be some-when in 2031."

Ian tripped over a rock and barely managed to stand on his feet, "2031?! Now that's surprising,"

"Really?" Jake looked at the boy over his shoulder. "When are you from?"

"I should be in 2005," he answered. "You mean we can go to future, too?"

"Sure, I _am_ from the future after all," chuckled Jake. "I was in 3000 a few times and seriously considered moving there with my girlfriend. It's really cool there. Or should I say - it _will_ be."

"This is so unbelievable," mused Ian out loud. "I can see my own future."

"If you know where you live at the moment," exclaimed Jake. "Don't forget about the temple. You see, its location changes every three years. As I said before, you can't predict where you're gonna end up. I lived three years in the future and almost got stuck there for the rest of my life, because the temple was about to vanish. If it changed location, then there would be no chance for me to find it again."

Ian nodded his head, "What about your body? Do you age the same way as other people when you time-travel?"

"Generally you do," explained Jake. "But when I lived in the future, I aged very slowly. But that's only because people there found solutions for it. I should be around twenty-seven now, but my body looks as the one of a twenty-three years old male, so I always say I'm twenty-three."

A loud roar interrupted their conversation and they immediately broke into a run. Jake was a few steps ahead of Ian, panting, "We need to get to the temple. We will go after your friend, alright? You remember the formula?"

"Yes," panted Ian.

"Good," whimpered Jake after nearly falling down. "Just don't lose your stone."

-

-

-

Jackson placed his backpack on the marble surface of the temple and searched through it for the small box they needed. Beside him, Melissa was fidgeting nervously and suddenly he got a strong urge to hug her just to reassure her that everything will be alright, but it was not the time for that. First things first.

Nathan and Daley were standing not far from them, clutching hands nervously. They decided to walk the two to the temple, while the others stayed in the camp. Apparently they didn't want to look at this. Nathan stared at Jackson, "So, you guys will come back as soon as you get Ian and Jory right?"

"That's the plan," the other boy said. "But I don't really know how this thing works, so.."

Melissa came up to Nathan and gave him a friendly hug, Daley joined in, "We'll be back, I promise,"

"Where is she?" Jackson wore his backpack and held the box in his hand. Melissa came up to him and lifted her own as well. "She didn't change her mind, did she?"

"Who are you talking about?" asked Nathan, when he heard a rustling behind him and Taylor emerged, sporting a bag on her shoulder. "Taylor?!"

"I'm here, I'm here," the girl made her way to the two already standing in the temple. "Sorry I'm late."

Jackson noticed the shocked looks on his friends' faces and decided to explain, "Taylor wanted to go with us. And, since she volunteered, me and Melissa both agreed to it,"

The three stood in a circle and Jackson held the stone in his outstretched palm, "Alright, put your hands on it. And remember what you need to think,"

Melissa and Taylor touched the stone hesitantly and closed their eyes in concentration. The object started glowing and a second later Nathan and Daley could only watch as the trio vanished.

-

-

-

Countless years before, two boys barely dodged a dinosaur's jaw and vanished in a whiff of wind.

* * *

**A/N:**So, yes, Ian got sucked into the dinosaurs' times. Jake is my OC, he will be appearing later in the story and I think it will be a surprise for us when you find out his true identity. You can guess, though it won't be revealed at least for a couple of chapters. I hope you all like the J/M moment. (:


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